The St. Jerome’s University Academic Staff Association (SJU ASA) is the certified bargaining agent for all faculty and professional librarians at St. Jerome’s University, a public Roman Catholic university federated with the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

In April 2009, the Ontario Labour Relations Board certified The St. Jerome’s University Academic Staff Association (SJU ASA) as a trade union for full-time academic staff. On 25 April  2013, the Ontario Labour Relations Board issued a certificate for the SJU ASA to act as sole representative to all Contract Academic Staff (CAS) at St. Jerome’s.

The SJU ASA consists of two bargaining units (Full-time and CAS), and membership in each unit is determined by length of contract rather than full- or part-time status. The Full-time unit represents all academic staff (full-time or part-time) with contracts over 12 months in length. The CAS unit represents all members with contracts for less than 12 months, regardless of workload. Each unit has representation on the Executive Committee as well as its own Grievance Officer.

The SJU ASA replaced the St. Jerome’s University Faculty Association, which was integrated into the Faculty Association at the University of Waterloo. According to the University of Waterloo Act (2001), St. Jerome’s full-time teaching faculty are regular faculty members at UW. Given this historical connection as well as the federation agreement between the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome’s, the SJU ASA and FAUW have maintained collegial relations, with a FAUW representatives sitting as ex-officio, non-voting members on the SJU ASA executive committee and an SJU ASA representative sitting on the FAUW board of directors.

The SJU ASA is a member in good standing of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

According to its Constitution, the purpose of the Association is to:

1. promote the welfare of the academic staff of the University, keeping in mind the good of the University as a whole;
2. bargain collectively on behalf of academic staff at the University in all of employer-employee relations, including remuneration and working conditions;
3. protect academic freedom while advancing teaching, research, and other pursuits of the academic staff at the University;
4. promote collegial governance and safeguard the academic integrity of the University;
5. facilitate the exchange of ideas between the Association and the broader University community, as well as with the general public;
6. encourage co-operation between the academic staff of this University and the academic staffs of other Universities;
7. advance the shared interests of the Association and its affiliates.